Chapter 104

Chel simply shrugged her shoulders without a word. It was her way of saying that once Kelly got like this, there was no stopping her. I figured Chel intended to just watch for a while and intervene only if things took a turn for the worse.

Elizabeth shook her head and knit her brows.

“Fine… then good. I’ll take one of the two. That lion. But Kelly unnie takes the robot. Is that okay?”

“Bet. How about you shut up and get lost? These guys are recorded in the Book of Fate as being destined to die by my hands from the moment they were born. While I’m crushing them, why don’t you just face-plant on the floor and act as a human chair so Orabeoni can watch comfortably?”

At the sharp response, Elizabeth growled back, her aura rising.

“A hu-human chair… whew… Honestly, were you possessed by the ghost of some bitch who was beaten to death in her past life? How can someone be such a crazy violence-holic? Are you out of your mind?”

“Ho… the little brat who was just sobbing her eyes out is crawling back up now that she’s felt comfortable for a few minutes. Weren’t you the crazy bitch who tried to butcher Elves because they look younger and prettier than their age? Who are you calling crazy? Should I just start by beating you up?”

“A low-level Platinum rank dares to say she’ll beat up the Great True Silver rank Elizabeth? You really want to strip the ranks and go at it?!”

“True Silver my ass. Who acknowledges a girl whose only skill is clicking a button to summon monsters?”

“…Fine. Let’s see who dies today.”

Ah, seriously, they’re all crazy…

Just as I was about to step in between them before a funeral broke out before we even touched the monsters, a voice rang out.

Pardon me, I see you all look quite busy, but might I request a moment of your time for a conversation?

Elizabeth, irritated by the male voice coming from over there, shouted back.

“Conversation?! Conversation my foot! What kind of conversation in this situation… a conversation… Wait. Who just said that?”

““““………….””””

None of us could answer her question. Why? Because we were just as lost as she was.

I was the one speaking?

“Uh… uh…? Wha-what!?”

This time, even Elizabeth failed to finish her sentence and began stammering.

Well, anyone would have the same reaction if a giant, bipedal lion with eyes sparkling with wisdom and intelligence addressed them in fluent(?) Tubilan Imperial.

I ask again, I hope you will grace me with a brief conversation.

“…….”

I was the first among us to snap out of it.

“Hey… is it a regular thing for monsters to strike up a conversation like this? Or is it just these irregular labyrinth types?”

Chel, looking uncharacteristically flustered, waved her hands.

“N-no. I’ve heard rumors that 12-Star and above mobs (Archmage or Grand Master level) sometimes initiate talk for amusement… but I’ve never heard or seen a ‘trash mob’ (?) like this doing it. And in such fluent Imperial?”

Calling me a trash mob… that hurts. I take a certain pride in my martial prowess. My fluency in the Tubilan Imperial tongue is merely a trait I was born with because this labyrinth happens to be in the Empire. It is not something earned through effort, so it is not a matter for praise. Ah, I am also capable of the Western Continent’s common tongue, so please feel free to use that if you find it more comfortable.

Right. A 9-Star is definitely not a trash mob. A 9-Star monster is something that could easily steamroll an average knight order single-handedly.

He’s fluent in Imperial and Common, but he doesn’t want to brag because it’s just a passive trait he was born with?

What a noble mindset. I like the humility.

But those ‘words’ shouldn’t be coming out of a ‘lion’s snout’!!

Look. Even Kelly—that Kelly—is so shocked she’s reeled in her runaway sanity just to stare at your mouth.

May I take your silence as acceptance of a dialogue with me?

What was even funnier was that the robot—that silver silicon monster that looked like a blown-up version of Iron Man with an extra pair of arms and legs—had also stopped moving, as if waiting for the end of the conversation between the lion and us. It meant the robot agreed with the lion’s actions.

Ailet had already switched to researcher mode and was frantically filming the lion, muttering things like, “Data, data! Thesis, thesis! Jackpot, jackpot…!” Chel caught my eye and sent a desperate signal.

‘Is it waiting for something? Is this an attempt to stall for time? Orabeoni, what do you think?’

Well, that was the gist of it. Instead of a verbal answer, I gave a calm nod. It was a sign to let it play out.

After all, stalling for time only matters if you have reinforcements left. But what other power could be left in this empty labyrinth?

Our current party’s strength was nothing to scoff at.

Even if there were six monsters of their caliber instead of two, the odds would still be in our favor. Even if the number hit double digits, we’d at least be able to make an escape.

Chel nodded as if she agreed, then turned her eyes toward the lion.

“Speak.”

I thank you.

The lion let out a heavy sigh and lowered his head. That gesture was so remarkably human that we were thrown into confusion once again.

First, a question. Are you the ones who have turned this labyrinth into this state?

Chel let a smirk play on her lips.

“Yeah. We did. We slit the throats of the monsters guarding this place and your master, and we leveled the labyrinth to the ground. Are you sad? Full of hate? Then come at us. We’ll make you look just like them.”

The lion took a step back and shook his paws dismissively.

No. If that were my intent, I would not have spoken to you in the first place. To say I have no resentment at all would be a lie… but the strongest emotion inside me right now is joy.

“Joy?”

I have lived as a knight serving my master in this ‘Nitomus’… or what you call the ‘Lily Labyrinth.’ My master was kind, wise, and worthy of respect.

“Hmm….”

But starting about thirty years ago, strange intelligent beings began invading the labyrinth and tormented us relentlessly. And we worked together to steadily repel those invaders.

Countless comrades died. Oh, the sorrow and rage I felt. Because of that, I came to utterly loathe what you call ‘humans’—the intelligent beings of this world. I cursed them as horrific, hideous things, and I trained day after day to protect my master from their hands. That is how the current ‘me’ came to be.

“……”

I found numerous errors in the lion’s story. No, it wasn’t just me; everyone in our group likely did.

I couldn’t help but cut him off.

“Hey, Leo.”

Leo?

“Oh, I just thought of a name that fits. My apologies if it’s offensive.”

No. Leo… I like it. It has a fine ring to it.

“Right. Leo. Do you realize how absurd your story is? This Lily Labyrinth was formed less than two years ago. And yet you say people have been invading for thirty years? What kind of nonsense is that? Plus, you claim countless comrades died? This labyrinth has never been cleared past the 3rd floor. Where are these ‘countless comrades’ coming from?”

The lion stared at my face for a moment, then gave a dull nod.

You are correct. It is all nothing more than my own baseless anger and foolish delusions. However, an hour ago, I truly believed it to be the truth. Now that the labyrinth has collapsed, I have returned to my senses.

I focused on the one possibility that came to mind.

“Labyrinth mental manipulation?”

The lion signaled his affirmation with silence.

“Are you perhaps not a monster? Like, maybe you’re a beastkin from this world who was kidnapped, subjected to something out of a ‘thin book’ (doujinshi), and turned into that via a TS (gender/form swap) situation…?”

The lion shook his head.

Thin books? TS? What are those? Regardless, no. I am indeed a monster. My origin is simply a bit different from typical monsters.

“How is it different?”

I was a being created by this labyrinth—specifically, by the Labyrinth Master (Outer God)—a year and a half ago out of necessity.

To think and act not as a monster driven by instinct, but in the same manner as the rightful intelligent beings of this world.

The lion continued, his voice a mix of rough breathing and low growls.

I do not know why I was made that way. Perhaps they needed a pawn who could understand and efficiently intercept invaders who were growing stronger. In fact, as the guardian of the 6th floor, I had the authority to control all comrades except for the Master in times of emergency.

The lion looked up at the sky through the gaping hole in the ceiling where raindrops were falling, and gave a bitter smile.

It doesn’t mean much now, though.

“……”

Before the mental manipulation… when I was first created, I worked hard to follow the reason for my existence. But after a few months, I realized one crucial thing.

That I was alone in this labyrinth.

The lion fell silent for about ten seconds before continuing in a somber tone.

Others, even the Succubus Queen I served as my master, were too alien to me. They were too different from myself. A difference in values? No, it couldn’t be lumped together as something like ‘values.’ They were just different. Their thoughts, emotions, actions—everything. They were, quite literally, beings from another world.

Speech? We could communicate. But it was never a conversation. Even my beloved master was no exception. She was beautiful, but… to me, she was incomprehensibility itself.

I became twisted. Facing my comrades only served to dull the meaning of my life and add to my solitude.

So, unlike the other Floor Bosses, instead of spending time in my master’s lavish chambers enjoying pleasure, I chose to shut myself in the ‘Library’ all day to pore over the books of this world and watch video materials. I became deeply immersed. Because there, I could freely see ‘the place where I was meant to be.’

Ah, the library is gone now. It was a place created solely for me through the consideration of the Labyrinth Master… but it vanished along with the labyrinth.

Anyway… it seems the Outer God, the Labyrinth Master, judged me to be dangerous. One day, they suddenly used the power of the labyrinth to scramble my mind. The ‘setting’ that was added to my head then is exactly what I was rambling about earlier.

I knit my brows and asked, “That setting about serving a Succubus as a knight for thirty years? That anger over comrades being murdered?”

The lion nodded with a very human expression.

Correct. That. The brainwashing bestowed by the Labyrinth Master was powerful indeed. In that moment, I ceased to be a rookie monster born only six months prior and became a veteran knight who had served his master for decades.

With my heart filled with reverence for my master, the Succubus Queen, and my comrades, and an immense rage toward the invaders.

The gap between the added setting and the reality before my eyes was staggering, but I tried my best to rationalize it and protect the internal setting the Labyrinth Master had implanted. I believed that my comrades being strange, and my master becoming a pervert who felt pleasure by pulling out her own nails—unlike my memories—was all because the invaders had cast a curse.

That was who I was until an hour ago.

But suddenly, the labyrinth seemed to let out a scream, and my mind cleared instantly. As the Labyrinth Master lost the labyrinth and returned to their original place, the mental manipulation was lifted.

The ‘setting’ embedded deep in my mind is inescapable now, so I can only think of myself as a seasoned knight… but I have regained my memories of the lost six months, been liberated from that irrational rage, and can now assess the situation.

And… I have become lonely once again.

“……”